Glimpses of IndiaFirst Flight, Chapter 7 · CBSE Class 10 · 3 parts
A composite chapter with three separate pieces, each about a different region of India: Goa's bread-making tradition, the warrior culture of Coorg, and the tea estates of Assam. Together they argue that India's strength lies in its regional diversity.
Part I
A Baker from Goa
Lucio Rodrigues
Part II
Coorg
Lokesh Abrol
Part III
Tea from Assam
Arup Kumar Datta
Summary — all three parts
Part I — A Baker from Goa
Lucio RodriguesThe baker — a figure from Goa's Portuguese past
In this nostalgic piece, the narrator recalls the 'pader' — the traditional Goan baker — as a beloved figure from his childhood. Goa was a Portuguese colony for over 400 years, and the tradition of bread-making was brought by the Portuguese. Even after liberation (1961), the bread and the baker remained. The baker's arrival in the morning was announced by the jingling of his bamboo staff on the ground — a sound that woke children and brought the whole household to the door.
Bread and its central place in Goan life
The narrator explains that bread is not a minor food item in Goa — it is essential to every occasion. The marriage gifts include bread rings called 'bol'; the sweet bread called 'bol' is central to weddings; Christmas celebrations require bread; even the bread for a child's first birthday is distinctive. The baker is, therefore, not just a vendor but a cultural custodian — someone who keeps alive the foods and the traditions that define Goan identity.
The baker's prosperous appearance
The traditional baker wore a distinctive outfit: a long frock called a 'kabai', later replaced by trousers of a shorter-than-usual length. Despite the modest nature of his trade, the baker was always plump and prosperous-looking. The narrator notes that the baker's furnace kept him warm and his trade kept him fed. The bread-maker's family was never hungry — proving that the baking profession, however simple, provided a good living.
Part II — Coorg
Lokesh AbrolCoorg — India's coffee and spice land
Coorg (Kodagu) is a district in Karnataka, nestled between the Mysore plateau and the Kerala coast. The narrator describes it as the land of rolling hills, evergreen forests, spices, and the best coffee in India. The best time to visit is September–March, when the weather is pleasant. The region's natural beauty is extraordinary — from misty rainforests and the Kaveri river to coffee plantations and wildlife sanctuaries like Nagarhole.
The Kodava people — a warrior heritage
The people of Coorg are called Kodavas. They are fiercely independent and have a rich martial tradition. Unlike most Indians, the Kodavas are allowed to carry firearms without a licence — a privilege granted in recognition of their long history as warriors and hunters. They claim descent from Alexander the Great's soldiers who stayed behind in India, though this is debated. Their culture blends Hindu traditions with local customs and a deep pride in their ancestry.
Adventures and attractions
The narrator highlights the many activities Coorg offers: trekking, river rafting on the Kaveri, elephant rides at Dubare Elephant Camp, and birdwatching. The hill town of Madikeri is the administrative centre. Coorg has also produced several remarkable military officers, including General Cariappa — India's first Commander-in-Chief of the Army.
Part III — Tea from Assam
Arup Kumar DattaA train journey and a conversation about tea
The narrator and his friend Rajvir are on a train to Assam. As the train passes through lush green tea estates, Rajvir is transfixed. He is visiting Assam for the first time and cannot stop looking at the scenery. His companion Pranjol, an Assamese boy who grew up on a tea estate, finds Rajvir's excitement amusing — for him the plantations are ordinary, everyday scenery.
The legends of tea
Rajvir shares two legends about the origin of tea. The first is Chinese: a Buddhist monk named Bodhidharma, during a long meditation, cut off his eyelids to stop himself sleeping. From the eyelids, the first tea plant grew. The second legend is also Chinese: an emperor discovered tea when leaves fell into his boiling water. Whether these stories are true or not, they connect the drink to ideas of wakefulness, meditation, and discovery.
Tea in India — Assam and Darjeeling
Rajvir tells Pranjol that India produces the most tea in the world. Two of the finest teas come from Assam and Darjeeling. Tea was not native to India — it was first commercially grown in Assam after wild tea plants were discovered there in the early 19th century. The narrator and Rajvir arrive at the Dhekiabari Tea Estate, where they are met by Pranjol's father, the estate manager.
Themes
Regional identity and cultural pride
All three parts celebrate distinct Indian regions — Goa, Coorg, and Assam — each with its own history, people, food, and traditions. The composite chapter argues that India's identity is not singular but plural, made up of hundreds of distinct regional identities each worth knowing and celebrating.
The past living in the present
In 'A Baker from Goa', the Portuguese colonial legacy lives on not as a burden but as a gift — the bread, the baking tradition, the kabai. In Coorg, the warrior heritage of the Kodavas continues in their customs and military service. The past does not disappear; it becomes part of daily life and identity.
Nature and tourism as discovery
Both 'Coorg' and 'Tea from Assam' are essentially travel writing — invitations to see places that are extraordinary but perhaps overlooked. Rajvir's excitement about the tea estates mirrors the reader's experience: we are encouraged to see the ordinary through a visitor's eyes and find it remarkable.
Extract-Based Questions
Board papers often pull one extract from each part. Know all three.
"The baker or the pader, as he is known, still exists in Goa. The Portuguese have gone, but their love of bread and the baker has lived on."
Q1. What does this line tell us about Goa's relationship with its colonial past?
The line suggests that Goa's relationship with its Portuguese past is not one of resentment but of selective preservation. The Portuguese as rulers have gone, but the cultural practices they brought — particularly the tradition of bread-baking — have become genuinely Goan. The baker is no longer a Portuguese figure; he is a Goan institution. This shows how culture can transcend political history: colonialism ends, but the foods, festivals, and practices it introduced can become part of local identity.
"Rajvir stared at the tea garden. It stretched as far as the eyes could see. Close to the main road were the taller shade-trees, but the tea bushes were short and neatly pruned."
Q1. What does Rajvir's reaction to the tea garden tell us about the themes of the chapter?
Rajvir's wonder at the tea garden exemplifies the chapter's theme of seeing the familiar through fresh eyes. For Pranjol, who grew up on a tea estate, the plantations are unremarkable background scenery. For Rajvir, seeing them for the first time, they are extraordinary — vast, orderly, and beautiful. The contrast between their reactions invites the reader to adopt Rajvir's perspective: to look at everyday Indian landscapes with curiosity and appreciation rather than indifference.
"The Coorg Regiment is one of the most decorated in the Indian Army. Coorgs have been one of the most decorated in the Indian Army and Coorg has won the most number of gallantry awards."
Q1. Why does the author mention the Coorg Regiment and military awards?
The author mentions these facts to establish that Coorg's warrior heritage is not merely historical or legendary — it continues into the present day. The Kodava people's martial tradition, which is expressed in their right to carry firearms and their claims of descent from Alexander's soldiers, translates into a living, recognised contribution to the Indian Army. This gives the Coorg section a sense of pride and contemporary relevance, connecting the region's past to its present identity.
Short-Answer Questions (3 marks)
Be specific — name the part your answer comes from and use details from the text.
Q1. Why is bread important in Goan culture? What role does the baker play?
Bread is central to virtually every important occasion in Goa — weddings require bread rings called 'bol', Christmas celebrations depend on specific breads, and even children's first birthdays have a distinctive bread associated with them. The baker (pader) is, therefore, not merely a food vendor but a cultural custodian. He keeps alive a Portuguese-introduced tradition that has become thoroughly Goan. Without the baker, key rituals and celebrations would lose their identity.
Q2. What are the two legends about the origin of tea that Rajvir shares?
The first legend is about Bodhidharma, a Buddhist monk who cut off his eyelids to stop himself sleeping during meditation. From the fallen eyelids, the first tea plant grew. The second legend says that a Chinese emperor discovered tea when tea leaves accidentally fell into his boiling water, creating a pleasant drink. Both legends connect tea with wakefulness, discovery, and mindfulness — suggesting that the drink has cultural significance beyond mere refreshment.
Q3. What makes Coorg unique in terms of both nature and culture?
Coorg is unique in both its natural beauty and its people. Geographically, it offers dense rainforests, coffee and spice plantations, the river Kaveri, and wildlife sanctuaries. Culturally, the Kodava people are distinctive: they have a martial tradition, claim descent from Alexander's soldiers, and are uniquely permitted to carry firearms without a licence in recognition of their warrior heritage. The combination of stunning landscape and an exceptional community makes Coorg unlike anywhere else in India.
Long-Answer Questions (5 marks)
Write 8–10 sentences. Cross-chapter questions are common — make sure you can synthesise all three parts.
Q1. 'Glimpses of India' presents three very different regions, yet all three parts share the same core theme. What is this theme, and how does each part explore it?
The three parts of 'Glimpses of India' — A Baker from Goa, Coorg, and Tea from Assam — each celebrate a different region of India. Yet all three parts share a single core theme: the richness and distinctiveness of India's regional identities, and the importance of preserving and understanding them.
In 'A Baker from Goa', the theme appears through the figure of the pader — the traditional baker who maintains a Portuguese-introduced tradition even centuries after the Portuguese have left. The bread is not a symbol of colonialism; it has become a symbol of Goan identity itself. The piece suggests that culture is not destroyed by change — it absorbs and transforms what it inherits.
In 'Coorg', the theme takes the form of a travel invitation. The narrator describes Coorg's extraordinary natural landscape and the unique Kodava people — their warrior heritage, their distinctive customs, and their military honours. The region is presented as a living treasure that most Indians have not seen, and the reader is invited to discover it.
In 'Tea from Assam', the theme is explored through contrast. Rajvir's wonder at the tea estates mirrors the reader's experience of discovery, while Pranjol's indifference shows how familiarity dulls appreciation. Together they argue that every region of India, however ordinary it seems to those who live there, is remarkable to those who see it fresh.
Taken together, the three parts make an argument about Indian identity: that it is not one thing but many things — Goan bread, Kodava warriors, Assamese tea — and that knowing these regional identities is essential to knowing India.
Marking Breakdown
5 marks: 1 for identifying the core theme, 1 each for how each part develops it, 1 for synthesis connecting all three parts.
Grammar in this chapter
The travel-writing style uses rich descriptive language — editing questions test adjectives, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions.